Jack Frost and the Seven Elves
by charm545
Summary: Also known as that time a crazy spirit wanted Jack dead because her magic mirror said he was prettier than her. Based on the Brothers Grimm's snow white and the seven dwarfs.
1. The words on the mirror

**If you havent read the Grimm Brothers' version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs I recomend you read it before or while you read this story considering it is based on it. This chapter is really just to introduce the "evil queen". Hope you enjoy!**

**As always, I don't own Rise of the Guardians or any of its characters.**

* * *

It all started with the Christmas Ball.

A few years ago, North decided to host a party 2 weeks before Christmas at the North Pole. Every spirit was invited.

The party was obviously nowhere near the workshop, where the yetis were very busy with the toy building. North had a special and very large room for the ball. Although it was North who arranged everything, the ball was (technically) hosted by the Guardians. The big four would welcome everybody and take a break from their duties to socialize once a year. All the spirits were very excited for this year´s Christmas ball because it was the first time it would be hosted by the big _five_.

Everyone was eager to meet the newest addition to the Guardians. The Guardian in question was not as eager himself.

"Do I _really_ have to wear this?" whined Jack Frost as he looked at his new clothes specially made for the occasion. All of the Guardians were getting ready for the party. Each was dressed in their respective colors. Jack felt uncomfortable in his new blue dress pants and white shirt covered by a long blue formal jacket. It had the Guardians shield on the left. All in all, it was the fanciest Jack had ever dressed.

"I don't know why you are so upset! You look so handsome!" Tooth kept fluttering around him happily. Jack blushed lightly.

"You're just saying that." Before Tooth could answer, a certain pooka entered the room.

"Never thought I'd catch you dead in an outfit like that." Jack turned to the source of the voice with a scowl on his face and a retort on the tip of his tongue but it all froze when his eyes landed on Bunnymund. He was wearing a purple suit and tie, the Guardian's shield on the left.

"You're the one to talk! I've never even seen you wearing clothes before!" Bunny smirked as he walked towards Jack and Tooth.

"Well. I´m not the star of tonight's show. Remember that this is our day to show you off, you gotta look your best." He ruffled the winter spirit's hair and Jack whined in annoyance. Bunny chuckled. " I should go get North. He will want to take a million pictures of you." Jack looked horrified.

"Are you serious? Does he do that?" Bunny ignored him as he headed out the door. He suddenly snuck his head back into view.

"Oh, and don't think I didn't notice you're not wearing shoes. We already talked about this." Tooth looked at Jack's feet.

"I hadn't even noticed!" Jack crossed his arms with a pout

"Bunny isn't even wearing shoes!" Bunny smirked

"Rabbit shoes don't exist mate. Sorry to break it to ya." With that, the pooka left. Jack was fuming.

"Oh yeah, but rabbit suits do." He muttered. Tooth laughed and gave him a hug.

"It's just one night, Jack. Try to have fun! Everyone is here to meet you and they are very excited!"

That really didn't make him feel better. He covered his face with his hands and whined again. He noticed he had been doing that a lot in the last few days.

"Why do you even want me to where shoes? North said something about dancing but I'm really clumsy with shoes cause I never use them!" Tooth just patted his back.

They suddenly heard a voice saying, "He's here? Oh! I'm so excited!" Jack sighed as he let his hands fall and a small smile appear on his face. North slammed the door open. He was beaming with joy as he looked at the youngest of the Guardians. "Jack, my boy! You look great!" He picked Jack up and spun him around "I'm so glad you accepted wearing this! The yetis and I worked hard on it! Do you like?" Jack laughed as North put him down.

"I… haven't actually looked at myself yet." North frowned.

"That won't do! ELVES! BRING MIRROR!" Bunny laughed as he watched 2 elves walk in with a full body mirror and stand before Jack. Jack closed his eyes, not wanting to see himself in the outfit. He would surely look ridiculous, stupid, horrible…

He felt a tug on his Jacket sleeve. Jack opened one eye to look down. He found Sandy smiling at him.

"Oh, hey Sandy." The Guardian in question made an arrow shape over his head. It was pointing to the mirror and Jack knew he wanted him to look at himself. Jack sighed once again then turned to face the mirror. What he saw made his eyes open wide.

He looked… good. The clothes were a perfect fit. They were the same tone of blue as his eyes and the silvery white details were the color of his hair…

Suddenly he heard a click of a camera. He snapped out of his trance and saw North and the others reflected on the mirror.

"So? What do you think?" Jack swallowed.

"It's… different than what I'm used to. It's very… ball-like." North laughed at Jack's definition. Jack looked at the rest of the Guardian's clothes.

North was wearing a formal version of his regular red coat. Sandy also had a little golden suit. Jack couldn't tell if it was made of dream sand or of actual cloth. Tooth's outfit he had already complimented. It was a strapless green gown that was short on the front and long on the back. It was as long as her tail feathers. Everyone's outfit had the Guardian's shield on the left.

Jack turned away from the reflections and looked at the actual people. The moment he did, North took another picture.

"Oh this will be perfect for album!" Jack face palmed, but smiled. He knew that North was making an album but if it was of him or of the Guardians he didn't know. Tooth fluttered excitedly.

"We should take group shot!" Sandy nodded eagerly. A couple of elves got on each other's shoulders until they were tall enough to capture everyone in North's camera. The 4 guardians all stood around their newest addition.

A warm feeling stirred in Jack's stomach. It was not unpleasant; he actually enjoyed felling like this. It was the feeling that invaded him every time they did something together, as a group, as a family. Before, when no one could see him, he would always see families taking pictures together and sharing them with others. He had always wondered what it would be like to be in one.

"Say _teeth_!" Tooth called out. They all did as the flash of the camera captured the moment. Jack smiled at his fellow Guardians.

Maybe this party wouldn't be so bad.

* * *

"Oh, Cupid! Thank you for coming." North shook hands with the spirit of love as he flew into the room. He smiled at all the Guardians.

"North! Tooth! Bunnymund! Sandy! It's been too long!" He turned to Jack and a glint shone in his eyes "So _this_ is the little snowflake everyone has been talking about!" Jack didn't know whether to be embarrassed or upset. Cupid shook his hand. "I heard about how you saved the world!" He laughed, "You really are something! It's enchanting to finally meet you! I guess all the rumors of your good looks are true too." Alright, that got Jack to blush a bit.

"Hey tone it down will ya! You're gonna freak him out!" Bunny scowled. Cupid gave him a sly smile that made the pooka uncomfortable. Jack almost wanted to hide behind bunny.

"Sorry guys! It's just that things like these are so rare!" He suddenly frowned "Well, they usually are. Although I've seen a few new faces here and there which is very strange." The rest of the Guardians nodded (except Jack for who almost every face was a new face).

"Where are all these new spirits coming from? I swear one third of the people here did not even _exist_ last year." Bunny seemed in a bad mood at the large amount of people present at the pole. Of course every year there were many who came to the party but this year held the record. Most of them went every year but the true purpose of this year's party was for everyone to get to meet Jack.

After 300 years of being alone Jack had to accept this was a little overwhelming. Every single spirit who went to greet them would be fretting over Jack and trying to get him to talk. The other Guardians would eventually notice Jack's discomfort and, as friendly as possible, made the nagging spirit go away.

As hosts they had to welcome every single person, which was much more tiring than Jack thought it would be. Bunny would let him know who was a new spirit and who was a usual. With each passing guest Jack realized there really were many new spirits.

Jack looked at the room full of the guests. Some were talking while others danced. The music was being played by the elves, who play as well as they cook (which is very well). Jack wondered if human balls were also during the day, although he doubted it because the reason this ball was so early was because 2 of the hosts have to work at night.

His thoughts were interrupted by Bunny's nudge "Here comes another one. This one's new, and she looks like a pain." Jack smirked and was about to tell him to lighten up when he saw the spirit he was talking about.

It was a young woman. She was dressed in a purple, puffy, and extremely elegant dress like the queens of old. Her long black hair had been curled and styled into a ponytail tied with a matching purple bow. She had the right amount of makeup on her face but exaggerated jewelry. One of her gloved hands was being held by a much simpler dressed younger man. It was hard to focus on him with the woman by his side.

She was beautiful. One, if not the, most beautiful women Jack had ever seen. Yet there was something about her face, a sort of smugness that seemed to lower the quality of her looks.

Her head was held up high as she walked towards the Guardians. She smiled as North took her hand.

"Welcome my lady." He kissed her hand and the woman looked pleased. Bunny had a bad feeling about this spirit.

"Thank you for having me. My name is Cashlin. I am the spirit of jealousy and vanity." The Guardians couldn't help wince at the words. She laughed "I know it sounds bad, but I promise I am not as terrible as I sound."

"There's a thing or two that would make me disagree." Bunny whispered to Jack who elbowed him. Cashlin greeted the rest of the Guardians until her eyes fell on Jack.

She froze. Her eyes opening frighteningly wide. Jack felt a chill run through him as their eyes met. Hers were filled with shock, fear, and hatred. The winter spirit didn't understand what could have possibly brought up such feelings. He felt terribly uncomfortable but he couldn't get himself to look away. It was not until North coughed that Cashlin blinked.

"This is Jack Frost. He is newest Guardian." Cashlin looked Jack up and down before offering her hand.

"It is a _pleasure _to meet you, Jack." Her voice seemed kind enough but her face looked hostile and the hatred had not left her eyes.

Jack swallowed and nodded.

"You too." North and Sandy looked at Jack with concern while both Tooth and Bunny looked at the woman with distrust. Jack suddenly noticed the man next to Cashlin and said, "Oh, sorry! Didn't see you there. Hi, I'm Jack!" He shook the boy's hand. He looked older than Jack but younger than Cashlin. The boy blinked in shock at Jack who seemed clueless. "What's your name?" He opened his mouth but Cashlin cut in.

"He's nobody. He works for me." There was anger in her voice. The rest of the Guardians frowned but Jack still seemed clueless.

"So? He has a name. Come on! I told you mine!" Jack gave the boy a childish smile. The young man smiled shyly as he said,

"My name is Benen. It's a pleasure to meet you… Jack." Jack's face brightened when he got his answer. The rest of the Guardians greeted Benen but the boy's eyes kept going back to Jack. Cashlin seemed more than a bit upset. Her eyes had not left the winter spirit. Jack had decided to ignore the weird creepy woman.

Finally, Cashlin looked at North and smiled,

"I should get going. There are more guests you must greet." She raised her hand and Benen took it with a displeased look. He found Jack's eyes again. He waved at him and that brought a smile to Benen's face.

The Guardians watched them go. Jack let go of a breath he didn't realize he was holding. Bunny scowled.

"Spirit of jealousy and vanity! Seriously, what is going on!"

"The young man seemed nice," said Tooth "but I don't like the way that woman looked at Jack. It was just so…"

"Creepy?" offered Jack

"Hateful." She answered.

The Guardians frowned but before any of them could give it another thought more guests approached them.

* * *

Things were not as terrible as Jack thought they would be. The rest of the guests were extremely friendly and soon the cheerful atmosphere got Jack to relax and enjoy himself. He was, after all, the Guardian of fun.

He tried to talk to everyone even if it was for a short amount of time. Everyone seemed to take a liking to Jack immediately. The boy was able to get a laugh out of anyone he was talking to.

The only person he avoided was Cashlin, but he was able to talk to Benen when he went to fetch her a drink. Jack had a feeling that Benen didn't usually talk to anyone who wasn't the spirit of jealousy and vanity, and he could imagine how well _those_ conversations went. It was not until they saw Cashlin walking towards them that Jack sadly but quickly said goodbye and left before the woman could get to them.

The winter spirit went to stand next to Bunny who had been kind of secluded in a corner for most of the party.

"What's wrong, cottontail? Don't like parties?" Bunny frowned.

"I usually don't have a problem with them. I just don't feel very social today." Jack looked at him with a bit of concern. He had seemed so cheerful before. Bunny looked down at Jack.

"You are doing better than I expected." Jack smirked.

"What? You thought I would give a sudden excuse and hide on the roof or something like that?" Bunny chuckled.

"Something like that." Jack sighed.

"I'm doing better than I expected too. Having conversations with strangers is hard, but not if you don't make them serious." Bunny ruffled Jack's hair.

"And you're the expert in not acting serious so that works perfectly for you." Bunny laughed, then frowned. "I just have a… bad feeling about tonight. I'm not sure what it is but…" He hesitated. Jack nudged him.

"Don't stop there!" He insisted. Bunny growled.

"It's that jealousy spirit! I've been back here watching everything and I've seen her time after time moving aside from everyone, taking something out of her bag, and whispering to it! Every time after it she gets this renewed air of supremacy that is making me want to punch her!"

Jack stared at Bunny blankly, not knowing what to think.

Bunny took a deep breath and gave Jack a weak smile.

"Don't listen to me. I just haven't been around other people for a while. I mean, you and the others don't count. You're like… you know… family."

Jack's face seemed to glow at Bunny's words. The pooka tried to ignore how cute the boy looked. Bunny pushed him away lightly.

"Don't you have a party to attend to? Don't mind me, just go." Jack was about to say something but decided against it. Instead he said,

"When you feel less moody find me, ok?" He flashed him a smile before going back to the party.

As Jack walked he thought about what Bunny said. Whispering to something? How crazy could that spirit get?

He tried to think of something else.

Boy did he hate shoes. They were the most uncomfortably thing. He could hardily move his toes and he felt awfully unbalanced. Jack really hoped no one asked him to dance cause he doubted he would be any good in those things.

Jack walked around and began to talk to people. A while later he felt a light tap on his back. He smiled, thinking it was Bunny, but the person he saw wiped the smile off his face.

"Jack Frost," said Cashlin, her voice as cold as ever. "May I have this dance?"

Jack felt his tongue turn to lead. He wanted to say no, but he knew he couldn't. He technically had no reason not to and it was not what hosts did… and yet he couldn't bring himself to accept. Cashlin smirked, as if pleased to see him so uncomfortable. "Come on, Jack. I want to dance with a Guardian." Jack looked at her helplessly but his eyes widened in shock at a sudden voice.

"I am a Guardian too. Will you not dance with me?" Bunny had suddenly appeared behind Cashlin, who violently turned to face Bunny. The Guardian of hope smirked, knowing he had trapped the spirit in her own web. Cashlin scowled for an instant then smiled fakely.

"Of course, _Bunnymund_." Jack caught Bunny's eye and the winter spirit gave him a thankful look. Bunny nodded, then walked off with Cashlin's hand in his.

The relief Jack expected did not come. He watched as Bunny and Cashlin began to dance. Their faces were showing no emotion but there was a war going between their eyes. They were glaring at each other, neither had blinked. Jack was distracted by a random spirit asking him to dance. He absentmindedly accepted, not taking his eyes off the silent pair.

As Jack danced he didn't even think of his shoes. All he did was watch Bunny and Cashlin. The spirit he was dancing with was nagging his ear off about nothing. Jack would crack a joke without really thinking but the spirit didn't seem to notice. Suddenly the spirit said something that caught his attention.

"Oh, did you see that woman in the purple dress? She's soooo pretty! They say that she used to be a queen before she became a sprit! That is soooo cool!" Those words frightened Jack a bit. He was afraid that both Bunny and Cashlin would be too proud and stubborn to end their staring (glaring) contest (battle).

Once the song was over Jack watched as the pair stopped dancing but kept glaring. They were like that for a few seconds before Cashlin said something and Bunny blink into a shocked look.

With that, Cashlin smirked and left Bunnymund standing as if frozen on the spot.

Jack was about to make his way to him but instead he watched Cashlin walk towards Benen and take her handbag from him. He saw her take a pocket mirror out of it. Cashlin moved away from the people, opened the mirror, whispered a few words, and looked into it.

Jack realized that was what Bunny had seen her doing all day. Cashlin seemed to be reenergized as she closed the mirror. An air of arrogance surrounded her as she lifted her head up high with a smile and walked back towards Benen.

"What in the world…" Jack murmured. This was all too weird.

Suddenly Jack felt a heavy hand land on his shoulder.

"Jack! It's time to dismiss the guests! Sandy and Tooth must work soon." The boy nodded and followed North to the door.

He noticed Bunny walking towards them with a frown. He stood next to Jack and immediately said, "Stay away from Cashlin." That startled Jack.

"What? What happened?"

"Nothing, it's just… something she said." Jack frowned.

"What did she say?" Bunny stared at the winter spirit's face for a long time. Finally he spoke.

"Nothing. Just… stay close to me." Jack wanted to know more but the guests approached them and they were occupied with that for some time.

When it was Cashlin's turn, Jack felt Bunny become tense. The pooka subtly pulled Jack a step behind him, almost as if he expected the jeleasy spirit to attack the boy. All she did was looked only at North.

"Thank you for the lovely evening." With that she went away, avoiding everyone's eyes. As Benen followed behind her he said a quick "Bye, Jack!"

Jack waved goodbye, then stretched.

"Ugh! I'm really tired! This socializing thing is exhausting." North laughed and patted Jack's back.

"Glad it's only once a year, eh?"

After a while all the guests were gone so Tooth and Sandy were free to go. Jack yawned and poked Bunny (who had calmed down once Cashlin had left) in the stomach.

"Kangaroo, can I stay at the warren tonight?" Bunny looked surprised at the request.

"I thought you were staying with North."

"I am but with him so busy and with Christmas so near I feel like I'll get in the way. If you don't want…"

"No no, it's fine. I told you to stay close to me didn't I." Jack grinned. He then extended his arms and childishly said.

"Carry me!" Bunny blinked in confusion then scowled.

"What! I'm not carrying you, you dill!" Jack whined.

"I'm tired Bunny! Pleeaase!" The winter spirit gave him his best puppy eyes. Bunny looked away, trying to stay firm, but failed.

"I'll carry you on my back. That's all I can offer." With energy that Jack supposedly did not have, the boy leaped onto Bunny's back and put his arms around the pooka's neck.

"I knew you'd say yes! My charms are irresistible." Bunny rolled his eyes.

"You are a spoiled little brat."

"You love me! Don't deny it!" The winter spirit snuggled his face into Bunny's fur and fell asleep.

The Guardian of hope realized Jack had actually been tired. Bunny let a fond smile appear on his face.

"Yeah. Yeah I do."

* * *

Cashlin was in a terrible mood. She couldn't get her mind off that boy.

Jack Frost.

Ugh, just muttering his name made Cashlin's skin crawl with hatred.

That stupid kid with his bright blue eyes that sparkled when he laughed. Stupid boy with his stupid perfect hair and flawless skin. Why did he have to be so…

Ok, stop. Just stop thinking about him.

Cashlin took a deep breath and took out her pocket mirror. This was what she needed. It would help get rid of these horrible thoughts. She opened her mirror and said,

"Pocket mirror please tell me

What is my greatest quality."

On the glass the words "_Of your many qualities, your beauty is greatest." _appeared.

Cashlin smiled, pleased. Smiles… stupid Jack Frost and his stupid smile with his teeth as white as freshly fallen snow…

This needs to stop! Cashlin growled in frustration. Then the answer appeared to her. She would ask the mirror a question that would put her nerves at ease.

"Oh, pocket mirror on my palm,

Who's the most beautiful spirit of all?"

She waited anxiously for the mirrors answer.

"_Your beauty is great_

_but Jack Frost is more beautiful than all."_

For a second Cashlin was silent. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. She felt like she had been slapped, punched, and stabbed all at once.

_No… it can't be… he can't be more beautiful than me…_

And yet she knew the mirror never lied.

A violent screech erupted from her throat. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Jack Frost." She murmured, trembling with fury. "You will rue the day we met. Those words on the mirror are your death sentence."


	2. The moon's warning

**Here is chapter 2. Who do you think is the "huntsman" in this story?**

**As always, I don't own Rise of the Guardians or any of its characters.**

* * *

"Come on, Cottontail! Play with me!"

"No."

"You're no fun! Come on!"

"I'm not rolling down the hill with you."

It was morning and the first thing Jack had done was drag Bunny to the highest hill in the warren.

"Why not!"

"Why don't we have breakfast instead."

"Bunny! I'm the Guardian of fun! This is how I get my energy! Will you really deny me that?"

"Hey, you can roll down mount Everest if you want! Just don't wake me up and drag me next time huh, mate?"

"Like I said, no fun." With that, Jack lay on his back then let himself roll down the hill. He laughed all the way and gave a whoop once he landed on the flower covered bank. The winter spirit laughed some more as he lay on the flowers. They smelled so nice.

Bunny watched Jack with a fond smile. The contrast of the colorful petals to Jack's skin was very beautiful. Bunny shook his head from his thoughts and called out to the winter spirit.

"Had your fill? " Jack sat up and Bunny chuckled at the strands of grass that were in the boy's hair.

"You can never have too much fun, Bunnymund." Said Jack with a serious tone. He laughed then sighed. "I'd love to stick around and keep messing with your place but I gotta go to work." Bunny frowned.

"You haven't had breakfast yet." Jack stood up and streached.

"Yeah, I know but I really got to go. Kids want snow and I need to try to give it to them." Jack flashed Bunny a smile.

"Thanks for letting me stay over, Kangaroo! I'll come bother you later!" The winter spirit waved him goodbye than flew out the warren.

As Bunny watched Jack go, the words Cashlin said after their dance echoed in his mind.

"_Jack is very beautiful, isn't he."_

It had been a statement, not a question. Bunny had been so shocked at the comment. He didn't understand why, but those words had frightened him very much.

* * *

Benen sighed in annoyance as he made his way to the throne room. He hated working for Cashlin. He hated her stupid castle and her stupid need to act like a queen and call everyone her servants. He wondered what she wanted this time. Maybe her newest dress had arrived in the wrong shade of blue.

Even with these thoughts, Benen knew he would never be able to leave the spirit of jealousy's service. He would never have the guts to tell her what he thought or to simply deny to do as she ordered. She was no queen, at least not anymore. Benen couldn't care less about who she was before. All he knew was that she was making his existence a living hell.

One day he would leave her.

Someday.

Soon.

Yes.

He arrived and stood before Cashlin, who looked furious. He hoped her anger was not directed at him. He hated her just as much as he feared her.

"What took you so long! I have a task for you and it the most important thing you will ever do in your miserable existence."

_Well look who's moody. _Benen thought bitterly, but he could feel fear begin to creep in. He had a very bad feeling about this task.

Cashlin looked at her magic pocket mirror.

"Pocket mirror tell me please

Where Jack Frost right now is."

Benen rolled his eyes. Cashlin was so bad with rhymes.

Suddenly her words hit him.

_Where Jack Frost is? What does she want with him? _

Cashlin smiled as she saw an image form. It was the winter spirit in question, walking on a frozen lake.

"Jack Frost is in the little town of Burgess, " she told Benen. She closed her mirror and gave him a smile that chilled him to the bone. "You will go to him. I want you to kill him and bring me his heart as a token."

Benen froze and stared at Cashlin with large, shocked eyes. She did not just say that. Those words did not just come out of her mouth…

"W-what?!" Cashlin's smile became a violent scowl.

"Did you not hear me! GO TO BURGESS AND BRING ME JACK FROST'S HEART!" A shadow filled the room and Benen took a step back.

"You… you can't be serious! I-I can't! He's so… you can't… I can't…" Cashlin's beautiful features became distorted with wrath.

"You will do what I say," she whispered dangerously. "or you'll suffer a fate worse than that of the winter spirit's. Now **go**."

* * *

Jack whistled as he skated on his frozen lake. He gave a little spin and laughed, causing delicate snowflakes to begin to fall. He watched them and their patterns morphed at his command. In that moment he felt truly at peace.

After a while he flew to a tree branch and sat on it, his legs dangling. He sighed as he thought about how fun it would be to bring his fellow Guardians ice skating. He had no idea if it was possible, but the idea of Bunny trying to stay balanced on the ice made him laugh. He was thinking of asking North if he could make rabbit skates when he heard a voice.

"Hey Jack."

Jack blinked and looked down towards the source of the voice.

It was Benen. Jack smiled excitedly.

"Benen! What are you doing here? Did you finally run away from the crazy old hag?"

The winter spirit did not notice how Benen's smile looked more like a grimace or how his voice was strained.

"No, she sent me on out on a task… I'm just taking a… detour."

Jack wiped a fake tear from his cheek.

"And you decided to spend it with me? I'm touched!" He laughed then tilted his head with curiosity. "How did you even find me?"

Benen gave a humorless laugh. "I have my ways." He cleared his throat.

_Lets just get this over with._

"Hey Jack. Can we take a walk? I haven't been outside for so long and I really like snow."

_I'm so sorry, Jack._

The winter spirit's smile grew. He let himself fall off the tree, the wind making him land as slow and soft as a snowflake.

"Well you came to the right spirit! Let's do this!"

* * *

North munched on his cookies happily. Everything was running smoothly. For the first time in many years there had been no accidents or setbacks. There was less than 2 weeks left for Christmas and everything was right on schedule. Everything was perfect, except for the missing presence of a certain winter spirit.

North knew that Jack was afraid of ruining another holiday. He had become very paranoid about that ever since the Easter accident with Pitch. North told Jack various times that he was not a hindrance, but his words seem to go in through one ear and out the other.

Well it wasn't like Jack was in the pole very much during Christmas. It was not only North's busiest time, but Jack's as well. Many children wanted a white Christmas and the winter spirit tried his best to give it to them.

North's thoughts were interrupted by the doors of his workshop being slammed open violently by Phil, who entered with a panicked expression.

"What is it?" North asked.

Phil made a few distressed noises that North knew meant "Man in the moon." The Guardian of wonder quickly made his way to Manny's window. He gasped as he saw the moon shining terribly brightly. North could feel the moon's panic hit him in waves.

"Manny! What is wrong!"

North heard a voice inside his head. At MiM's words, North felt fear take over his heart. Without wasting a second he ordered the yetis to prepare the sleigh as he went to turn on the boreal lights.

In the few minutes it took the other Guardians to get to the pole, North could feel his heart beat accelerate with panic. Once Tooth, Bunny, and Sandy were there North interrupted their questions and exclaimed, "Cashlin is after Jack! Manny says she is powerful dark magic user and that he is in danger right now!" With those words they quickly got into the sleigh. Bunny's fear of the sleigh replaced by his fear for Jack.

"I knew that woman would do something." Bunny internally beat himself up for letting Jack leave the warren that morning.

North filled them in with all the information MiM had given him. Each word making their fear grow. As North pushed the reindeer to their limit, the same prayer was in each of the Guardian's minds:

_Please be ok, Jack_

* * *

"When was the last time you were outside just for fun?" Jack couldn't imagine a life of being trapped inside 4 walls and under the orders of a crazy woman. He felt very bad for Benen; the guy did not deserve that.

"It has really been too long." Benen said tiredly. He pulled out his knife from his belt. It was now or never. Jack was walking with his back to him, completely unaware of the danger he was in. Benen could feel his own heart beating violently.

"That's terrible! But now you're with the Guardian of fun! I'll think of something that will make up for all the wasted days." Jack said with a grin. He began to brainstorm ideas.

Benen could feel tears sting in the corner of his eyes.

_I'm so, __**so**__ sorry._

He raised his knife to strike at the winter spirit. He would make it quick. Jack would never know what happened… Jack…

Benen's hands were shaking.

This was wrong. Jack was the kindest spirit he had ever met. He was the first person to talk to him like he was a person and not a servant. No one ever payed attention to him, it was always about Cashlin. He was nothing but a walking shadow.

Jack had seen him.

He had been invisible for so long, but those bright blue eyes had found him.

He couldn't do this.

"AGH!" Benen threw the knife at a tree next to Jack's head. The winter spirit was startled by the feeling of something fly past his ear. He turned around and saw tears flowing down Benen's cheeks. "I can't do it." He said tiredly.

"W-what?" Jack didn't understand what was happening. That was when he saw the knife sticking out the tree trunk. Realization hit him. He looked at Benen with fear and betrayal in his eyes. "Benen?"

The boy in question wiped the tears off his face. His expression became hard.

"You need to get out of here! Cashlin is after you! She will not rest until you are dead!" Jack's mind simply could not register Benen's words. Benen stepped closer to Jack and shook the Guardian of fun. "Didn't you hear me! You're in danger! Find the other Guardians! Go somewhere safe! Fly away, Jack! NOW!"

Those words were enough to snap Jack back to reality. He pulled away and ran as fast as he could. He couldn't think. All he knew was that he had to get away. At some point in his run, tears began to fall down his cheeks. The wind blew around him comfortingly and guided him away from the forest and into the night sky.

As he flew, Jack caught sight of North's sleigh and he felt he could faint with relief. The other Guardians felt the same. The wind dropped Jack inside the sleigh were he was immediately enveloped in a group hug from Bunny, Tooth, and Sandy.

"Jack! Son, are you alright?" North asked worriedly as he drove the sleigh back to Santoff Claussen.

Jack was shaking from head to toe. " I-I don't know. A second everything was ok and then Benen tried to kill me… Benen! He's going to get in trouble for letting me go! What if she hurts him? S-she won't, right? She´s after _me_. I d-don't even know why!" The 3 Guardians hugged him tighter.

"We know why, Jack." North said. "Man in moon told me. "

"Why?" Jack murmured.

"It's a lot to take in. Are you sure you're up to it, snowflake?" Bunnymund asked softly. Jack looked terrible and Bunny was afraid of what the news could do to the winter spirit.

"The problem is here whether we tell him or not. He must know." North said. Bunny sighed and Tooth ran her fingers through Jack's hair comfortingly.

"Cashlin is more than she seems." North began. "Manny says she is dangerous dark magic user."

"Dark magic?" Jack muttered. Sandy nodded unhappily.

"Yes, Jack. Worst kind of magic. Very powerful…" North paused, then took a deep breath "she has magic pocket mirror. She asks it things, it answers. The mirror declared you the most beautiful spirit of all. This has driven her mad with jealousy. That is why she is after you. She wants to be most beautiful."

Jack's eyes were wide with shock.

Most beautiful? What? That was seriously the reason someone wanted him dead? Jack never considered his looks important, probably because there had never been anyone to look at him before. To think _that_ was the cause of all of this seemed too ridiculous. Too horrible.

"Frostbite?" Bunny asked worriedly.

"What'll happen now?" Jack asked.

The 3 Guardians looked with concern at Jack, then at North, then back at Jack.

"Manny says she will attack the pole." Those words shocked Jack to the core.

"What!? She can't do that! It's less than 2 weeks for Christmas!"

"We have been talking about what to do. Cashlin will attack the pole because she thinks you will be there. We need to keep you hidden. The 3 of us will defend the pole. The yetis will continue their work." The horror in Jack's face had not lessened.

"Everything will be alright, Jack." Tooth insisted. "Cashlin has no chance against us but we want to keep you as far away from Santoff Claussen as possible."

"Then, where are we going?" The winter spirit asked.

"To Santoff Claussen." Answered North.

"But didn't you say…"

"It's just quick stop. Rest, Jack. You look terrible." Jack felt terrible. This entire ordeal made him feel sick. Sandy wiped the tears off the boy's face and offered him a smile.

"Everything will be fine, Frostbite. You seriously look awful, you need your beauty sleep." Bunny tried to joke.

Jack felt a knot in his throat. "That was very rude, cottontail," He snuggled to the pooka's chest while Sandy and Tooth snuggled to Jack's hoodie. "and a complete lie. Didn't you hear I am the most beautiful spirit?" The winter spirit's voice cracked lightly. With that, Jack let the exhaustion and Sandy's dream sand take over.

The 3 Guardians sighed and wondered if everything would really be alright.

* * *

**Benen! Poor Benen. Thank you all for reading! I'll try to update as soon as possible.**


	3. Out of Breath

**I don't like gelatin.**

**As always, I don't own Rise of the Guardians or any of its characters.**

* * *

When they arrived at the pole, they woke Jack up as carefully as they could.

"We're here, snowflake." Bunny whispered. Jack yawned and Tooth tried not to swoon over his exposed teeth.

It really wasn't the time for that.

The Guardians made their way through Santoff Clausen.

"Why don't I just stay here and fight Cashlin with you guys? She can't be worse then Pitch." Jack insisted. The other Guardians looked unhappy at his question. North answered.

"She's here for you. It would be bad idea to keep you here. She is no match for us, this is just for peace of mind." Jack sighed and nodded.

"Then why are we here?" North cheered up.

"We're here for your company!" The winter spirit blinked in confusion.

"What?" North laughed and patted the boys back.

"I would have wanted a yeti to stay with you but I need them all for toy building. You will be accompanied by elves!" The Guardian of wonder exclaimed happily. A group of elves ran to them excitedly. Jack watched them run around and couldn't help a small smile appear on his face.

They left the pole with 7 elves. On the sleigh they all assigned themselves a spot. 2 sat on Jack's shoulders, one on each, trying to get the best view of the sky. Jack realized they must leave the pole very rarely.

Another was by North, thinking the best view was by the front.

Another was sitting on Bunnymund's head and playing with his ears. The Pooka would've shoved him off with a punch if it hadn't been for Jack laughing and covering Bunny's hands with his own. Bunny would not accept that he was rendered useless at that, nor that a warm feeling spread through his chest when Jack kept his hands where they were even after the Pooka calmed down.

Two elves were asleep next to a very annoyed looking Sandman, and one was being entertained by Tooth.

Although Jack didn't know where they were going he knew better than to ask. Who knew if someone was listening? And besides, he trusted the rest of the Guardians. That realization struck him a bit hard. He already knew that he had become close to them, but trust was something he did not often hand around.

That was really the reason why Benen's attack hurt him so badly. That, and the confusion. Jack hated not understanding. For so long he had not understood who he was and what he was meant to do. He could not take the uncertainty of any situation anymore.

The winter spirit decided to not think of that and instead focus on how funny Bunny looked with an elf on his head.

They soon arrived to a snow covered mountain. They all got out of the sleigh, the elves running around excitedly. Jack wondered if they even knew there was a problem or if they thought this was all just some sort of field trip.

North led them to a small cabin. Jack looked at it with curiosity.

"This is it!" North said as he opened the door for the winter spirit.

"Come on in, you pointy heads!" At that, the elves ran in joyfully. Jack chuckled and followed them.

The cabin was relatively small. It had one floor. The living room was connected to the kitchen. It had one bedroom. There was a chimney in the living room. Jack walked towards it and wondered if it would harm him if they lit a fire. He hoped not; chimneys look sad without a fire.

"What do you think, Jack?" North asked with concern.

"It's… cozy." Jack tried. He didn't dislike the place, he just couldn't see himself staying there for too long.

The rest of the Guardians seemed to read his mind.

"I know you won't like this, mate," Said Bunny, "but you're going to have to stay in here for an undefined period of time." Jack sighed.

"Yeah I know." Tooth looked sad.

"I don't think you understand, Jack. You can't… get out." Jack frowned.

"What do you mean?" North answered.

"The point of bringing you here is to hide you. That means no leaving the cabin at all." That was when it hit him.

"But North! I need to be outside! I'm an elemental! I need to feel the air! I need… I can't be locked up here!" The other Guardians winced.

"We're not locking you up, Jack. We're just trying to protect you." Those words made Jack deflate and stare at the ground. It was true. They were his family. They just wanted to keep him safe.

"I just… I don't know how long I'll be able to stand it." North patted the boy's back.

"Everything will be fine, Jack. We will deal with this problem. It will be piece of pie! You stay here and play with elves. There is much food in kitchen and the elves can cook anything! We'll come check on you soon, ok?"

Jack couldn't stop the panic from rising. What if this was all an elaborate trick to get rid of him? Maybe they had all gotten sick of him but didn't have the heart to tell him? What if they never came back? North could spare a few elves couldn't he?

Jack could feel his eyes watering. He knew his thoughts were unreasonable. He took deep breaths as he tried to calm himself down. Can spirits have panic attacks?

The others noticed Jack's distress. Tooth looked close to tears herself. They all moved towards the winter spirit. Sandy, Bunny, and Tooth hugged him from the sides while North enveloped them all into a tight embrace. Jack let himself be held and was able to get rid of the awful thoughts in his head.

"This will be over before you know it, frostbite. We'll make sure that witch doesn't bother any of us ever again." Bunny said.

As they all let go, Sandy placed himself before Jack. He made a little golden heart out of sand and hardened it. He smiled as he placed it in Jack's hand. The winter spirit stared at it and held it tightly. He knew what it stood for. A silent promise that he was loved.

"Thanks, Sandy."

Jack waved as they left. They didn't lock the door even though Jack knew that was the easiest way to make sure he would stay inside. They trusted him and he appreciated that greatly.

The winter spirit took a deep breath before turning to face the elves.

"Alright guys! Who wants to play hopscotch!?"

* * *

Coming up with things to do was not the problem. Jack and the elves played all day long.

They played hopscotch by frosting the floor. They played hide and seek (the elves were surprisingly talented at finding hiding spots in such a small house, it was always their bells that gave them away). They played charades (splitting the elves into 2 groups and the winner being the group that got Jack to guess the most times what they were acting out). They roasted marshmallows in the chimney (the tasty treat was worth the slightly suffocating heat). They played ball with a frozen snowball (there was nothing to break inside the cabin). All in all, Jack had been able to keep himself entertained for quite a while.

The problem were the walls. Jack was not used to being able to see 4 walls around him. He yearned for the wind which he could hear blowing at the window, missing him.

Looking out the window was torture. So much snow, so near yet so far. It had just been a day. A day and he was already sure he would not make it. He had to get out, only for a little while.

Jack was siting on the sofa next to the window. The elves were playing among themselves and Jack watched the snow. He took out of his hoodie's pocket the golden heart Sandy had given him. He also felt the little Matryoshka doll North had made of him. He always kept it with him.

The Guardian of fun looked at the golden heart and felt guilty. He didn't want to betray the others. He knew they were trying their best to keep him safe but his need to get out was overwhelming. He clenched the golden heart and promised that he would not be out too long. With that, Jack moved as silently as he could towards the cabin's door, and with one last look at the elves, got out.

* * *

After he let Jack go, Benen had been left in a dilemma he had never dreamed of being in. He needed to bring back a heart to Cashlin. Where in the world was he going to get a heart? He thought of finding an animal and taking it from it but he knew he wouldn't be able to bring himself do it. How could he have ever thought he could kill Jack? Stupid.

Benen thought of simply not returning to Cashlin's castle, but he knew that if he was able to trick her she would leave Jack alone. He owned him that much.

In the end, Benen found a Halloween store and got a fake heart made of gelatin.

With his fake heart in the chest he had been given by Cashlin (and his own heart hammering madly in his own chest) he me made his way back to the castle of the spirit of jealousy and vanity.

Cashlin was waiting for him. When she saw him she took the chest from his hands and looked at it like she was a kid getting a present on Christmas.

He wondered what North would think of that comparison.

Cashlin squeeled and opened the chest.

"Oh, this is wonderful! Jack Frost is dead! I am now the most beautiful! Now what shall I do with this…" She looked thoughtful for a moment then smiled. "I will have the cook sault it!" She cheered

"The cook quit last week." Benen said with annoyance.

Cashlin blinked, then laughed it off.

"That matters not. After all, "revenge is a plate best served cold"." She took the chest to the dinning room. Benen followed behind with horror.

"You're not really going to…" Cashlin sat down. Placed the "heart" on a plate and ate it. Bennen scowled and knew he would be vomiting in the spot if the heart had been real.

"Revenge is sweet." Cashlin said as she smacked her lips.

_So is gelatin, _Benen thought with a small smirk. "Well if that is all, I will take my leave." _Crazy witch._

"Oh! Don't leave so soon! We must celebrate my victory!" She rose from her chair. Her face still sticky and gross. She made her way back to the throne room and Benen followed nervously.

Cashlin took out her pocket mirror and Benen felt dread fill him.

"Oh, pocket mirror on my palm,

Who's the most beautiful spirit of all?"

Cashlin's smile was greater than any Benen had seen before. He knew the answer she expected. He also knew it was exactly the answer she wouldn't get.

"_Your beauty is great_

_but Jack Frost is alive and well_

_and he is more beautiful than all."_

There was a moment of silence when Cashlin realized Benen had betrayed her.

The mirror never lied.

A shadow filled the room, the candles went out, and the temperature went down.

"You _traitor."_

Her voice was low but sharp and full of hatred. Benen took a step back in fear. He had failed. Cashlin would never rest until Jack was dead.

Black smoke began to rise from her. It made it's way to Benen and wrapped itself around his neck.

It suddenly hardened and cut out his air supply.

She stood there as he struggled and did not say a word until he stopped.

"It is so hard to get good servants these days." She muttered, annoyed. She took out her mirror again.

"Pocket mirror tell me please

Where Jack Frost right now is."

The image of Jack walking through a snow covered mountain appeared.

"If you want something done, you have to do it yourself."

* * *

The 4 Guardians could not sit still. There had been no attack yet and they all felt terrible for leaving Jack the way they did. They all knew it was the right thing to do but that didn't make the image of the hurt and panicked expression on the winter spirit face fade away from their minds. The moon told them to stay on guard but that they could take turns in groups of 2 to go check on Jack.

"I call first!" Tooth said. Bunny scowled.

"What are you? 5? That's no way to decide!" North nodded.

"Bunny is right. We must think of fair way," He cleared his throat, "Of course _I'm _going since I'm driving sleigh." Bunny's scowl deepened.

"Now wait just a minute! I can get there through my tunnels!"

"And Sandy and I can fly just fine!"

North huffed. "Alright! Alright! We'll find way to decide who goes to see Jack."

North looked around and a toy caught his eye. He smiled. "Since it is the Guardian of fun we want to see, it seems right to decide by playing game." He pointed at a Jenga tower. "Lets make two teams."

"Me and Sandy against you two!" Tooth said immediately. Sandy nodded happily.

"We are so going to win, mate." Said Bunny with a smirk. He wondered what Jack would say if he could see them know.

Their game was so intense that it is impossible to narrate. The winners were North and Bunny.

"Ugh! It's not fair! My hands shake! I'm part humming bird! I can't stay still!" Tooth said angrily as Sandy patter her back with a chuckle.

"Hehe. We'll tell Frostbite you two say hello." Bunny said as he and North left for Jack's snowy mountain.

* * *

Jack walked absentmindedly deeper and deeper into the forest. He was glad to simply be out of the cabin. Jack was used to being as free as the wind. It felt great to be in contact with his element once more, the snow falling like a comforting blanket all around him. Jack sighed and little snow flakes dances in his icy breath.

It was still hard for him to come to terms with what was happening. When Pitch attacked them, Jack could understand what his motivation was. Hell, Pitch almost got him to side with him!

But this woman, this crazy messed up spirit, wanted him _dead_... because he was _pretty_.

Jack blushed. He didn't even like being called pretty or beautiful or whatever!

Jack tried to focus on other reasons this crazy spirit had for wanting to kill him. He remembered something North told him before he left,

"Don't try to find logic to her actions," he said, "because there isn't. You'll go crazy." but Jack simply could not agree. There had to be some logic_,_ some reason, no matter how twisted.

He walked and thought.

Walk, walk, walk.

He began by thinking,

_Ok, so her thing is vanity and jealousy. Vanity is loving your beauty and your greatness. Jealousy is being afraid of loosing something to someone or wanting something you can't have. I think that if someone came around and did your life's purpose better than you, then that can be enough to drive you crazy and make you do terrible things, specially if one of your qualities is jealousy... no? That makes sense doesn't it?_

Jack began to pull at his hair but his thoughts were interrupted by a voice calling out.

"Help! Please! Is somebody there? Somebody help me!" startled. Jack rapidly moved to the source of the voice. He saw there was a hole in the snow. It was small but had enough room for one person. He looked down to see a woman at the bottom, tense and frightened.

Jack was about to call out but realized that she would probably not see him. He was shocked when he saw her eyes land on his.

"Oh thank the heavens! There's someone!" Jack blinked.

"You can see me?" The woman's relief became confusion

"Um... Yes? I-I'm sorry but c-could you please help me? I had n-not noticed how d-deep the snow was. It could not take my weight and I sunk." Jack's other concerns flew out of his mind as determination to help took over.

"Hold on to my staff" he said as he bent enough for it to reach over her head. She took hold if it and Jack pulled (with strength that seems to surprise many) the woman out of the hole and towards a less snow covered area.

The woman was breathing hard but a look of pure joy was now extended on her features. "Thank you so much! You saved me! Oh how could I ever repay you!?" Jack smiled and shook his head.

"It was nothing, don't worry about it." The woman shook her head vigorously.

"No! No! I _must_ give you something! You saved my life! Oh, what do I have here?" She began to search through her pockets. Jack laughed.

"Seriously, its not necessary." the woman ignored him as she took some colored laces out of her pocket.

"These were going to be for my daughter but it seems they are destined for you." Jack opened his mouth to insist that he would have no use for them, but the woman cut in, "I insist! It is the least I can do!" The winter spirit sighed.

"Alright, thank you. " He was about to take them but the woman violently moved her hands away.

"Oh please! Allow me to put them on you!" Jack chuckled.

"Alright." He stood before her a bit unsure of what she was going to do.

Before he could process what was happening. the woman laced so quick and so tightly that Jack lost his breath and fell down as if dead.

A wicked laugh escaped her throat.

"Now I am the most beautiful!" Said the woman, taking her real form as the spirit of jealousy and vanity. Cashlin went away, leaving Jack's motionless body on the ground.

* * *

Bunnymund and North entered the little cabin to receive mayhem. The elves were everywhere, running, jumping, yelling, dancing, you'd think they were more than 7.

"SILENCE!" North yelled. All the elves froze, then ran and stood in line with innocent smiles on their faces. Bunny rolled his eyes.

North huffed but he suddenly realized someone was missing, a very important someone "Where is Jack?" he asked. Bunny froze as he realized Jack was not in the cabin. The elves looked around like they had just realized it too. Some elves looked away while others shrugged and shook their heads. North would have face palmed if he hadn't been so concerned about the youngest Guardian who was currently under a death threat from an evil and crazy user of dark magic.

Bunny spoke "He must have gotten sick of bring locked inside. Bloody frostbite could be anywhere!" North shook his head.

"He knows better than to leave, he must have just taken a walk in the woods." The 2 Guardians began to walk outside and look for the boy. "Stay in cabin!" North ordered the elves as he closed the door.

Bunny and North began to move through the forest, calling out the winter spirit's name.

Deeper and deeper they went but they heard and saw nothing. With every step they took, fear tightened around their hearts. They knew something had happened to Jack, they just hoped they weren't too late.

They walked deeper until they saw the silhouette of a mostly blue figure with a variety of colors included. The two hurried but then froze at the sight.

Jack Frost lay unmoving with colorful laces tied around his throat and chest.

Bunny was the first to react as be ran and kneeled next to Jacks body. He winced as he saw the tightness of the laces. His eyesight began to grow blurry with tears as he realized jack was not breathing. North slowly bent down next to Jack as well. He placed his head on Jacks chest, then lifted it and shook his head.

Bunny's ears dropped. He couldn't accept this was happening. How could that witch do this? He looked at Jacks face. Even now he was beautiful. He looked like a sleeping child and Bunny wondered how anyone could ever wish him harm.

The two Guardians tried to unknot the laces but they were too tight. A tear ran down North's cheek but Bunny would not allow himself to spill his. They had to use one of North's daggers to cut the laces.

As they cut the first few, Jack began to take weak breaths. Both North and Bunny gasped and laughed with joy and relief. They kept cutting the laces and slowly Jack came back to life. He opened his eyes tiredly and came in contact with green ones.

"Oh, hi kangaroo." Bunny's heart skipped a beat. His relieved smile turned into a scowl.

"You bloody idiot! What were you doing out here! There's someone trying to kill you!" Bunny kept ranting as both he and North helped Jack up. Jack looked at the cut up laces on the ground in silence. Bunny became quiet when he realized Jack was not listening.

"Sorry," Jack murmured, "a-a woman was in trouble. She was deep in the snow... I couldn't not help her." Bunny's face softened as he put his arm around the boy.

"Alright snowflake. It was a close call but let it be the last, ok?" Jack nodded absentmindedly and let the 2 Guardians lead him back to the cabin.

* * *

Cashlin laughed joyfully as she danced in the room. She gave graceful pirouettes as she sang.

"Once more I am the greatest beauty of all!" she stopped with a happy hop then took out her pocket mirror. With a giddy smile she sang,

"Oh pocket mirror on my palm!

Who's the most beautiful of them all!"

Her happiness was shattered when she saw the words,

_"Your beauty is great but Jack Frost is alive and well_

_and his beauty surpasses that of any other spirit"_

Cashlin gave a furious screech that would have made anyone's blood run cold.

"I killed him! I killed that boy!" her fists were clenched so tightly that her nails drew blood from her hands. " I will go back and this time he will be dead for sure!"

* * *

**I _really_ don't like gelatin.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	4. A Poisonous Game

**I am paranoid of combs now. **

**As always, I don't own Rise of the Guardians or any of it's characters**

* * *

North opened the cabin door for Jack and Bunnymund. Jack felt a bit guilty at the concerned looks that North kept sending his way, as if he expected Jack to simply drop dead all of a sudden. Jack felt stupid for letting the witch fool him like she had, but honestly he saw no way he could have avoided it. If it happened again, if he heard someone calling for help, he knew he would not be able to ignore it. As a Guardian his duty was to protect the children of the world, but protecting others when they had the chance was also a priority.

When Jack walked in, he saw the elves still playing around. That got a weak smile on his face. He decided get rid of his pessimistic thoughts and instead think of a way to make sure that something like that never happened again.

North was about to close the cabin door when he looked at the sky and gasped.

"Bunny! The boreal lights!" Both Bunny and Jack looked out the door. Bunny grimaced.

"Looks like the attack is finally there." The pooka turned to face Jack with concern. A part of Bunny couldn't even consider leaving Jack after his "death", but the other part of him knew that they couldn't afford risking Christmas.

North sighed. "Alright. I'm going to pole to help Tooth and Sandy. You take Jack to safe location, da?" With that, North gave Jack a last look before leaving.

"Safe location? We're leaving?" Jack asked.

"She knows you are here." Bunny said simply. "Gather the elves, we gotta move."

Jack whistled loudly and the elves stopped what they were doing and ran to him.

"Alright guys! We're going to our next stop! Follow the kangaroo!" The elves began to march behind Bunnymund and Jack gave a small laugh. Bunny rolled his eyes. Jack's laugh became a startled yelp when he suddenly felt Bunny pull him and place an arm around his waist.

"Hold on, Frostbite." The pooka said before opening one of his tunnels with his foot. Normally the wind would turn Bunny's tunnels into something similar to slides for Jack. But now in Bunny's arms all Jack could do was hold on tightly to the pooka's fur. He heard Bunny laugh and Jack mentally promised to through him a snowball to the face once this "most beautiful" thing was over.

They landed on a warm and grassy field. Jack gasped at the sudden change of temperature. The elves, who had landed in all the different possible positions, got up with a jump and ran through the grass. Some began chasing butterflies while others were rolling in the mud.

"How have you been doing with these as company?" Asked Bunny as he let go of Jack.

"They're entertaining. I'm never bored." Bunny smiled.

"Good. That was what we were hoping for." Jack looked around. There were no trees, it was just grassland. His eyes landed on another little cabin.

"How many abandoned places do you know?" Jack asked only half joking.

"All in the world." Bunny answered serious. Jack nodded, slightly impressed.

"Are you going to give me a tour?" Jack asked with a smile. Bunny suddenly looked saddened.

"I need to go help at the pole, mate." Oh, the attack. Jack sighed. He believed in his fellow Guardians. He knew they would be able to deal with anything Cashlin could through at them, but Jack hated causing them trouble.

"I'm sorry." Jack murmured, looking down. Bunny blinked in confusion.

"What for, Frostbite?"

"All this. You guys have to be away from your duties because I put a holiday in danger again." Bunny frowned. He placed a hand underneath Jack's chin and forced him to look up.

"Jack. None of what is happening is your fault. This is all that crazy witch's doing. She isn't after Christmas. She's after you and this _is_ our duty, protecting each other. It's part of our job as a family. Got it?" Jack nodded. He leaped and wrapped his arms around Bunny's neck.

"Thanks." He said as he buried his face in the pooka's fur. Bunny hugged him back. The elves suddenly noticed the hugging and decided they wanted to be a part of it. Two elves hugged Bunny's legs while one jumped and held onto Jack's. The others used the elf hanging onto Jack to climb onto his back and position themselves around the Guardians of hope and fun. Jack laughed. They stood like that for a few seconds.

"Alright! Alright! That's enough! Get off you little whackers!" Jack couldn't stop laughing as he saw Bunny begin to shake off the elves. He was able to save a few before Bunny sent them flying.

Once he was elf-free, Bunny turned back to Jack. "Remember: _**don't**_ leave the cabin." Jack nodded with a serious look, which disappeared the moment the elf that was sitting on his shoulder decided to move onto his head and sit there. With a laugh he waved at Bunny.

"Bye bye, Bunny! Say hi to the others from me!"

Once Bunny left, Jack made his way to the cabin as he called out to the elves. "Come on guys! Let's check out the new place!"

The elves followed Jack into the cabin. Before Jack could even take a proper look around, something caught his eye.

"Whoa! Is that a television!?" In fact, there was an old television on a table infront of a sofa. "Come on guys! Check this out!" Jack called out to the elves. They ran to him with curiosity as he turned on the apparatus.

"Please have cable, please have cable, please have cable…"

Jack cheered as colorful images of cartoons filled the screen. He and the elves sat on the couch and watched the television. There was a marathon of a show about a Viking boy who had a dragon. They watched it for a long time until they began to feel tired. That was when Jack saw the golden sand dancing over their heads. He smiled, for he knew it meant that the attack on the pole was over. Jack did not realize he fell asleep until he was woken up by the sound of something breaking.

"Upps!"

Jack blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes. When he opened them he saw a broken lamp on the floor. The sound of wings fluttering made him look up to see Tooth.

"Hi Jack! Sorry I woke you! Sandy will be upset. We came to see how you were doing."

Jack gave her a tired smile.

"Hey Tooth," he yawned, "Have you been here long?"

"Only a few minutes. You looked so cute sleeping we didn't want to wake you."

"Where's Sandy?"

"Working. I left baby tooth in charge." Jack smiled at the memory of his little feathery friend. He missed having her around. Suddenly he remembered the situation they were in.

"The attack! How was it?" Tooth smirked.

"It was no contest. The witch created an army made of a strange black smoke. They weren't hard to defeat but they were great in number so it took a while. Not a scratch on Santoff Clausen and no one got hurt."

Jack gave a relieved sigh.

"I knew you guys had it covered." That was when Jack noticed how Tooth was flying inside the cabin. That was probably what made her break the lamp.

"Maybe you should sit, Tooth. Don't want more things to break." He said joking.

The rest of the elves were still completely asleep around the sofa. Tooth found a spot to sit and petted the nearest elf. The Guardians of memories and fun chatted aimlessly for a while. Eventually Sandy came back to the cabin. Jack felt very happy as he watched the two others communicate with each other. He had missed them. He missed Santoff Clausen. A sudden sadness filled him. Both Sandy and Tooth noticed his change in mood.

"What's wrong, Jack?" Tooth asked. Jack looked up to meet their concerned gazes. The winter spirit snorted.

"What isn't wrong?" He murmured, looking back down. The feeling of a small hand on his shoulder made him look up. Sandy gave him a fond smile. Over his head, Sandy created the image of a woman in a puffy dress: Cashlin. Next to it he made the "less than" math symbol. Next to that symbol he made the images of the 4 Guardians. The images became a clock. Then the clock became Jack standing next to the other guardians.

Jack got the message. It was what everyone always told him: She's no match for us. Soon everything will be back to normal.

Jack believed it, but he couldn't stop thinking about how close Cashlin had been to her goal. She had killed him once already.

The winter spirit wondered it Sandy and Tooth even knew about that. A part of him hoped they didn't.

Soon it was time for them to leave. Jack was sad to watch them go but they promised that North and Bunny would come see him soon.

Once they left, Jack turned back to the elves who were still sleeping. Jack had a feeling that Sandy was behind this. He didn't like the elves very much.

The winter spirit decided to take advantage of that and use a marker to draw on their faces. Now all he had to do was find one.

He began to look through the cabin. He was searching a shelf next to the window when something outside startled him.

There was a little kid, a girl, sitting on a blanket. She had a doll in her hands with long blonde hair. The little girl was brushing the doll's hair with a small, white comb.

Jack watched her with a fond smile. Even before he had become a Guardian he had always had a soft spot for children. His memories had showed him that he had been that way even when he was human. Making children laugh, making them happy, had been his life's purpose. It still was and it always would be.

A strong desire to go to the child filled him. He knew he shouldn't. It could be dangerous, not only for him but for the girl. If the witch were to come after him the girl could get caught in the crossfire. It would be best to avoid contact.

But Jack couldn't stop watching her. She reminded him of how much he missed Jamie and all the other kids.

Suddenly the girl looked away from her doll and towards the window Jack was watching her through. She looked surprised for a second before waving at him with a smile. Jack felt a warm feeling in his chest as he waved back. The girl went back to brushing her doll's hair.

The Guardian of fun could not resist it anymore. Mischief forgotten, he made his way to the door. His hand froze on the doorknob. He shouldn't do this. This could end badly. Bunny told him not to leave the cabin. Was dying simply not enough to get the severity of the situation into his head?

For a second, Jack pulled his hand away from the doorknob, but the image of the girl appeared once more and momentarily blinded his judgment. He opened the door and walked outside.

He made his way to where the girl was sitting. She didn't seem to notice him.

"Hi there." Jack said.

"Hi." Said the girl, not looking up.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm brushing my doll's hair." Ironically, the moment she said this she stopped.

The girl finally looked up. She watched Jack for a second before saying, "Can I brush _your_ hair?" Jack smiled.

"Yeah, sure. He sat down with his back to the girl so she could do her job.

The comb had barely touched his head when the poison on it took effect and Jack fell to the side senseless.

"You paragon of beauty." Said Cashlin, back in her true form, "you are done now."

* * *

The moment North and Bunny entered the cabin they knew something was wrong. The silence they were met with was such a radical difference to the chaos they had received on their first visit, except for one similarity: no Jack.

They were about to head out and look for him when the window caught Bunny's eye. It was looking out to the side of the cabin. Through the window he could perfectly see Jack lying on his side on top of a blanket. The pooka ran out the cabin.

"North!" He called out and immediately the Guardian of wonder was behind him.

Bunny could not even find it in himself to be angry at the fact that Jack, once again, had ignored their warnings. He was simply too worried and he could see North was too.

When they reached Jack they bent down next to him. Bunny nudged him so the boy was lying on his back. He was not breathing.

The Guardians of Wonder and Hope, remembering the last time this had happened, searched for the source of Jack's condition. The longer they searched the greater their fear became. North was the first to give up. His hands fell heavily on his lap and he looked at Bunny with tearful eyes. He wanted to tell him to stop, but he couldn't form words.

When the pooka noticed North's stillness, he looked up from the winter spirit's form.

"North?" He winced at Bunny's tone. It sounded so lost. North could still say nothing, but his silence hit the pooka harder than any words could.

They sat there in silence for a moment. How could they have let this happen again? A terrible guilt filled North's heart. He pulled Jack's body to him and embraced the winter spirit. _I'm sorry_, he wanted to say, but he couldn't.

Bunny watched the scene sorrowfully. He should have been here with Jack. He had known it was a bad idea to leave him after the first close call. How could he have been so stupid? Now Jack was…

That was when he saw it. Something in Jack's hair was reflecting the light of the sun.

"North…" Bunny muttered. He slowly moved his paw towards Jack's hair and grabbed at it. He felt something solid. The moment he pulled it out, Jack began to breath again.

Bunny stared at the comb lying on his paw. That witch had even chosen it white hoping they wouldn't find it.

Jack blinked a few times before his eyes focused on North's beaming face.

"North?" He murmured. Then realization hit him. Cashlin had tricked him again.

"Jack! You're alright!" Said the Guardian of wonder as he tightened his embrace on the winter spirit. Jack did not feel deserving of the affection. He had let them down again.

North let him go and Jack turned to face Bunnymund. He expected Bunny to be angry but he only looked tired.

"What happened?" He asked raising the comb. Jack stared at it in silence.

"A little girl asked me if she could brush my hair." He said simply. North's face filled with shock and Bunny threw the comb on the ground in disgust. The three Guardians were thinking the same.

How dare that witch take the form of a child. That was too low, even for her.

North was suddenly filled with the fear that this woman might be capable of far worse than they imagined.

* * *

**The next chapter will be the final one.**


	5. The Ice Coffin

**Hope you're in the mood for a funeral.**

**As always, I don't own Rise of the Guardians or any of it's characters.**

* * *

"I'm not leaving."

Bunny was standing with his arms crossed inside the cabin of their newest location. This time it was in a forest of pine trees. After arriving, Jack expected them to go back to the pole. That was when Bunny made his declaration.

"What? You can't be serious!" Jack looked at North for support. The Guardian of wonder stayed silent. "Bunny! You can't do that!"

"Why not, Frostbite?" Jack seemed to be close to panicking.

"What if Cashlin attacks the pole again?! If Christmas is ruined because you were here looking out for me I will… I wouldn't be able to…" North face softened. He was about to say something comforting when Bunny cut in. Opposite from North, Jack's words had made him angry.

"Why don't you get it!" The pooka took hold of Jack's shoulders. "**You** are what matters here! The witch is only attacking the pole to distract us from you! The only reason it works is because we can't afford to risk Christmas even thought we know she couldn't care less!" Bunny's face was only an inch away from Jack's. "Tooth, Sandy, and North can handle it. I am staying _right here_, you got that?"

The two Guardians stared into each other's eyes, more being said through them than a million words could.

"Ok." Jack finally whispered.

Bunny let him go with a deep sigh. He turned to face North, who had watched the scene with a raised eyebrow.

"Let me know if anything happens, eh mate? And don't worry about the little snowflake, I won't let him out of my sight."

"Hey! I'm right here!"

North gave a small chuckle before leaving for the pole.

Jack smirked and turned to face Bunny.

"Well, since you have decided to stay, that means you have to…" He pointer over his shoulder, where the elves were still outside, climbing pine trees, "play with us!"

"What?" Bunny asked startled.

"Yep. That's the deal. If you're here you need to entertain me. That means playing with the elves." The moment he said that, the elves stopped what they were doing and got off the trees. They ran into the cabin and towards Bunny excitedly while the pooka in question recoiled from them as if they were the plague.

"You can't be serious, Frostbite."

"Oh, you bet I am."

They spend hours playing every single game Jack could think of. Being the Guardian of fun, Jack could think of quite a lot.

Although Bunny didn't like playing with the elves he enjoyed making Jack smile. If that was what it took, then so be it.

At one point they were all playing tag. Bunny was it. He tackled Jack onto the ground, and in the spur of the moment, began to tickle him.

* * *

Cashlin watched the scene in distaste from her mirror.

"That rabbit will be a problem, I must get rid of him." The mirror focused on Jack's laughing face. Cashlin felt a flare of anger rise inside her and she slammed the pocket mirror shut.

"What to do…" she muttered. Cashlin made her way to her castle's balcony. She leaned causally against it as she watched her army ready and waiting for orders. A smirk appeared on her face.

She was about to sent her greatest attack on the pole yet. She knew the Guardians would defeat them, the point was to keep them busy while she dealt with the real problem. But now Bunnymund was with _him. _She had to do something more. Something that would force the Guardian of hope to leave the boy's side. What to do…

Suddenly the answer came to her and she gave a little laugh.

She stretched her arm and black smoke began to form next to her. The smoke began to take shape until and identical image of herself stood by her side.

Cashlin gasped.

"Oh! Am I really that beautiful?" She moved her head from side to side and her duplicate did the same. They both gave a blood-chilling laugh.

"This will get their attention quite well."

* * *

Tooth sighed tiredly as she watched out for shadows.

That's what they had called Cashlin's creations. Every time they hit or slice them they would turn to smoke.

The Guardian of memories was a bit upset. She thought it wasn't fair that Bunny got to stay with Jack while the 3 of them where here being bored. She had almost gotten North to let her and Sandy go visit Jack, but MiM suddenly told them to stay put.

That's how she had ended here, flying over Santoff Clousen, waiting for an attack.

Tooth was wondering how long this would go on. All the attacks were the same. The shadows would come and the Guardians would finish them off before they were even near the entrance to Santoff Clousen. They had noticed that there were more shadows in every attack, but that was it. The entire thing seemed like a waste of time.

That was her train of thought when she caught side of the advancing army.

"Finally." She muttered. Tooth flew inside to alert her fellow Guardians. Soon the 3 of them where deep in the fight. With one single slice of North's sword, a hit from Tooth, or a whip from Sandy the shadows became smoke.

Tooth noticed that no matter how many they defeated, more seemed to appear. This was definitely the greatest attack they had been under yet.

That was when she saw her.

She was standing behind her army with her arms crossed and a smug look on her face.

Tooth gasped as she turned another shadow to smoke.

"North! _North_!" The Guardian of wonder looked at Tooth, who pointed at Cashlin.

North's eyes widened.

"It's her! It's the witch!" Sandy also turned to look at her. As he lashed out with his whips at the surrounding enemies, an image of a golden egg formed over his head.

North nodded.

"We must call Bunny. He would want to be here to deal with _her_."

Tooth felt a sudden joy fill her. They could end this. Here and now.

"How do we contact him? There are too many shadows for any of us to leave."

North sliced another enemy. "Go send note through snow globe. Sandy and I will hold them off but don't take long."

Tooth nodded and with a few last hits, flew towards Santoff Clousen. Inside she quickly found a piece of paper and scribbled a note. She scrolled it up and took a bell from one of the elf's hats. She tied the bell the note and sent it through the snow globe portal.

"Hurry, Bunny." She muttered as she made her way back to the fight. "This can finally be the end."

* * *

It was the elves that noticed the note. For them, each bell had a singular sound that belonged to each elf. When they heard the ringing of a bell that did not belong to any of the 7 present, they knew something was up. They went towards the note with curiosity. One took it and began to shake it. The one next to him hit him and took the note away. He made his way to Jack and Bunny, who had been in the middle of their tickling war. Jack's laughter made it impossible for either of them to hear the frustrated jingles of the elf trying to get their attention. It was not until he began to pull at one of Bunny's ears that they noticed him.

"Cut that out!" The pooka said angrily. He pulled his head away and finally stopped tickling the winter spirit. Instead, he switched positions and sat on Jack's stomach.

"Humph!" Jack gasped. "You gotta lay off the carrots, cottontail!" Bunny decided not to grace that comment with an answer. Jack looked up from his position on the floor, which made the elf look upside down. "Hey little guy!" he said between laughs. That's when Jack noticed the note. "What is that you are holding?" The elf gave it to Jack who gave it to Bunny. "I would read it but I'm upside down and you are still on top of me." Instead of moving, Bunny took the note and opened it.

There was a silence while Bunny read. Jack saw the pooka tense up. He suddenly jumped to his feet.

"The witch! She's at the pole! I need to go!" Jack sat up, startled and a little bit dazed.

"What?" He had almost been able to forget the situation they were in. He had simply been having too much fun, and Bunny…

"She's there, Jack! Do you know what that means!?" He took hold of the winter spirits shoulders. "It means that if we catch her, this is over!"

That hit Jack hard. They actually had the chance to make everything go back to normal. He nodded.

"I would ask if I can go with you, but I know you'll say no so just…" Jack smirked. "kick her ass for me." Bunny nodded with something that almost looked like excitement.

"You bet, mate." Suddenly Bunny gave him a quick kiss on the cheek that left Jack frozen on the floor. With that, the pooka got up and left through one of his tunnels.

Jack placed a hand over his check and smiled.

_This could be it. This ridiculous ordeal could finally be over._

It took him a few seconds to realize that the 7 elves were outside and staring at him. He blushed.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Quit it!" He stood up and leaned on his staff. "Who wants to play freeze tag!?" Those words made the elves run into the cabin with panic. Jack laughed. The best thing about being a winter spirit was that it made the "freeze" in freeze tag literal. The last time they had played that, it took over an hour for the ice over the elves to melt.

He made his way into the cabin (after promising the elves that they would play something not ice related).

They played a few indoor for a while. They build a city made out of cans until one of the elves pretended to be a monster and destroyed it (he got a few punches form some of the other elves).

There was a sudden knock on the door. Jack looked up, startled. He made his way to the door, wondering if he should be suspicious of another attempt at his life. Then he remembered that Cashlin was at the pole, fighting his fellow Guardians.

Jack looked through the little window the door had. It was an old woman with a basket full of apples. The moment his eyes landed on them an intense desire filled him. The reasonable part of his brain thought it was very strange considering he had never been crazy over fruit before, but the rest of his brain was screaming for him to open the door and get one of those apples.

Jack opened the door, a bit hesitant. He wondered if he was being paranoid for being suspicious of an old lady with a fruit basket.

"Hello, pretty!" Said the old lady. "I am giving away these apples! I have no use for them. Would you like one?"

If Jack thought the apples looked good through the window, he had no idea how appetizing they would look in person. They were the reddest and sweetest looking apples he had ever seen. The woman took an apple out of the basket and extended her wrinkled arm towards Jack. He stared at the fruit, longing for it but not daring to take it.

"What is it?" She asked. "Are you afraid it is poisoned?" He had not even thought of that. "Look, I will take a bite so you see it is fine." She bit the right side of the apple.

When Jack watched the woman eat part of the apple he could not resist any longer. He took the apple from the old woman and bit the left side of it.

The moment he swallowed the bite, he fell down dead.

The old woman cackled loudly and took her real form. "Oh, poor sweet little Jack. The apple's magic was too strong to resist was it?" Cashlin bend to pick up the bitten apple. "It was incredibly smart of me to only poison one side of it wasn't it?" She put it back in the basket. Her smile suddenly became a cold and hateful glare as she stared at his unmoving form. "The other Guardians won't be able to wake you now." With that, she left.

The elves had been snapped out of their game by the sound of a blood chilling cackle. They walked towards Jack's pale and unmoving form. They surrounded him with concerned looks on their faces. They all tried poking him and shaking him but he did not respond. Scared, they all looked at each other, hopping the other Guardians would be there soon.

* * *

Bunny was getting frustrated. Neither he nor his fellow Guardians had been able to reach the witch. Every time they defeated some of her shadows she would create more. She was standing at the back, watching with an amused smile that made his blood boil. Oh, how he wanted to wipe that look off her face.

He wondered how his friends were doing. The battle had been going on for a long time and it did not seem to be ending soon. He feared that the witch was trying to tire them. Whenever Bunny began to feel exhausted, he would look back at Cashlin and remember how she had killed Jack twice. That thought fuelled him with refound anger and energy.

It was in the middle of this fighting that Cashlin suddenly gasped.

"It's done!"

With a flick of her wrist, all the shadows become smoke. The four Guardians had all been mid attack at the moment when they were suddenly alone in the snow. They moved together as they faced Cashlin in confusion.

"You fools." She said with a shake of her head. The Guardians were about to charge at her when she gave a little spin and disappeared in a cloud of grey smoke.

"No!" They all cried. North threw his swords on the ground in frustration. Tooth flew up and gave an angered screech. Sandy let some sand steam out of his ears. Bunny stood still, trying to calm the incredible amount of rage that he was feeling.

He had never felt that way so strongly before and it scared him. He was too afraid of doing something to blow off steam because he felt he might end up doing something he would regret.

He felt a sudden sadness when he realized he wasn't able to keep his promise to Jack. They hadn't even gotten close to Cashlin. Jack would be waiting in the cabin for good news just for them to tell him that she got away. Who knew when they would get another chance like that?

Tooth flew back down with a tired sigh.

"Can Sandy and I go see Jack? I really need to get away from here." North nodded numbly.

"Go, and… tell him I'm sorry." Tooth was too tired to tell North that it hadn't been his fault. She just nodded and pulled Sandy away with her.

She did not suspect anything when she saw the elves outside.

The door was open. They were standing under the doorway. Although their backs were facing Sandy and her, the moment the 2 Guardians were on sight, the elves saw them. Tooth had a feeling they had been expecting them.

"Sandy?" She muttered with confusion. The Guardian of dreams just shrugged as they made their way to the elves.

The 7 creatures suddenly ran towards them, jumping up and down in what Tooth considered panic. "Whoa, whoa! Take it easy there! What's wrong?" Those words made the elves freeze. Their faces turned grim. They moved away from Tooth, which confused the fairy until she realized they were moving_ out of the way._

When her eyes landed on Jack's form on the ground she could have sworn her heart stopped. It was as if, for a moment, the world simply stopped. No birds sang, no wind blew, no sun shined, no kids laughed.

Then everything moved too fast.

Tooth and Sandy flew to Jack's side.

He wasn't breathing. He wasn't moving.

There was a moment of blinding panic when Tooth and Sandy tried to shake Jack awake.

That was when it hit her.

_**Truly**_ hit her.

"Sandy… he's asleep right?"

Denial

It was the only thing she could hold on to.

A pained look filled Sandy's face as he looked at Tooth.

She swallowed hard.

"Sandy _please_ tell me he's just asleep."

She covered her mouth with her hands, forcing herself to not let any sobs escape. They both sat like that. Confused and in pain but no longer scared.

They couldn't be afraid of something that had already happened.

"Sandy…" Tooth murmured. "C-can you please go get North and Bunny?"

The Guardian of dreams nodded slowly. He placed a hand on Jack's cheek and left it there for a second before leaving.

Once he was gone, Tooth let herself fall.

She laid her head on Jack's chest with a heart wrenching sob.

Tooth knew that when the rest of the Guardians got there she would have to be strong. This would be hard on everyone. She decided that she would keep the others from falling apart. They would not see her cry.

So she would cry now.

* * *

When the 3 Guardians arrived, Tooth had already cried her heart out. She had cried so much and so hard that she thought she might never cry again.

She did not move to greet them. She did not make a sound. She kept her eyes closed, not wanting to see their reactions.

The sounds would be bad enough.

* * *

Bunny did not allow himself to fall into panic.

This was the third time North and he arrived to find Jack's dead form.

It did not make it any less painful.

He tried to keep calm and convince himself that all he had to do was find the source of Jack's condition and the winter spirit would be up and about, apologizing for letting his guard down again. Bunny would scowl at him but inside he would be filled with relief and joy.

And anger. Always anger.

Anger at the witch that had dared to touch his snowflake.

Yes. That was exactly what was going to happen. Tooth and Sandy had never been through this before. Bunny and North had not told them about the last 2 times. That's why they were reacting so badly, why Sandy had a look of finality on his face while Tooth had the air of someone who had already grieved for days.

They didn't know.

Everything would be fine.

Hope.

It was the only thing he could hold on to.

"Alright, Frostbite. What happened this time?" He says. Or at least he thinks he does. He might have lost his voice.

Both he and North began to search. They brushed through the boy's hair, looked for anything poisonous shook him, talked to him, yelled at him, but it was no use.

Jack was dead, and remained dead.

Every sound made Tooth wince. She wanted them to stop. There was nothing they could do.

Bunny was panicking now. He could see defeat filling North's face and he could not take that.

"North. Don't. Remember last time! You can't!" That gave North a bit more spirit and he helped Bunny to keep looking.

It was Sandy's hand on his shoulder that made him realize he was shaking.

"I know what you're thinking, Sandy." He began. "But I wont give up on him. I _can't_."

"I don't understand…" The 3 Guardians stopped what they were doing and turned to face Tooth, who had spoken for the first time. "How could she…. When? She was in front of us the whole time. Bunny was here. It must have been between the time he left him and the time the witch left the pole because I came here right after that and he was already…" Her voice sounded empty and the look in her eyes was distant.

Bunny could not understand how she could be saying that.

"Stop. He's not…" He wouldn't accept it. He wouldn't accept that they had failed. That the witch had won. That Jack truly was gone.

"Bunny…" It was North. Bunny found himself yelling.

"No, North! No! I am the Guardian of _hope_! What kind of Guardian would I be if I _gave up_?!"

Bunny held North's gaze. North was not crying like he had been the last times they had found Jack like this. This time Bunny felt it was worse. The Guardian of wonder's eyes were _empty_. That spark of joy that was always present, even in the worst of moments, was gone.

"Bunny," Said Tooth, her voice gentle. "Let him go." Bunny was still holding Jack tightly. He realized he couldn't let go of him. He felt that the moment he put him down, it would become real.

Bunny looked at each Guardian's face. It was not until his eyes landed on Sandy's that defeat set in.

Sandy had little golden tears running down his face.

He had never seen Sandy cry.

Now Bunny looked down at the boy in his arms. He couldn't believe that only an hour or so ago he had been playing with him. He had been laughing with him. He had kissed his cheek.

Now he was dead.

He felt a sudden anger. Anger at himself for letting this happen. Anger at North for not sending yetis to guard Jack. Anger at Tooth for calling him away from the winter spirit. Anger at Sandy for…

There was nothing he could remotely blame Sandy for.

That just made him angrier.

With trembling paws, he put Jack down on the ground.

The 4 Guardians stared at their youngest member, all thinking the same thing.

_We failed you. We were your family and we failed you._

Then there was this moment of silence where none of them knew what to do.

How to go on.

A funeral. They all knew that was the next step. Before thinking of Cashlin. Before thinking of justice or revenge. Jack came first.

3 of them couldn't help thinking back to Sandy's funeral. There had been no body. They also knew that lighting candles was not the way to say goodbye to their winter spirit.

North was the one to voice the question.

"What do we do?"

Bunny stared at Jack's face. His face was still as beautiful as it had been when he was living. That's when the thought hit him.

"If it is his beauty she fears," Bunny muttered with anger and decision, "then it will be displayed for the world to see." He gave North a meaningful look, which the Guardian of wonder understood with a heavy heart.

"I will work on it right away." He said emotionless.

* * *

All production in Santoff Clousen stopped on Jack Frost's funeral day.

Every yeti and every elf was outside of Santoff clousen standing around the 4 guardians and the ice coffin of the winter spirit himself.

It took North less than a day to make it. The yetis offered to help but he insisted he had to make it on his own.

The ice was thin and transparent. There were delicate and beautiful patterns carved all around it. It was opened at the moment. They would not seal it until the service was over.

Jack lay there, looking as peaceful as ever. They had thought of changing him into the clothes he wore at the Christmas ball but they thought he would have preferred his good old blue hoodie.

The 4 Guardians stared, feeling all but lost.

"I can't remember." Tooth said to Bunny suddenly. Lately all Tooth talked about was of things she "couldn't".

"What?" Bunny managed.

"I'm the Guardian of memories," she said with a humorless laugh. "and I can't remember how we lived without him." There was a pause as they looked at Jack and remembered all the moments they had had with him. Every smile and every laugh because that is what Jack loved to do: make you laugh.

Bunny didn't think he would be able to laugh ever again.

The pooka looked over at North who was standing to his right. He was staring at a photograph in his hand; he had hardily looked at Jack himself.

"What is that, North?" Tooth asked, which surprised Bunny.

North swallowed.

"It is picture from Christmas ball. The one we're all in." Bunny looked at it. They were all dressed in their formal suits. Jack was in the middle smiling brightly, surrounded by the others. Their little family, now broken.

"I meant to give it to Jack, but… I can't…" North seemed close to tears. Bunny had seen the Guardian of wonder holding in his grief. He knew it wouldn't last long.

"Keep it, North." Said Tooth softly, "It is a good memory."

Bunny sighed.

"Are we going to…?" He asked. Tooth nodded.

"Yes I think we should." They had all decided to give something to Jack. Sort of a goodbye gift. Bunny would rather think of it as a thank you gift.

Thank you for being part of our lives, even if it was so briefly.

The pain in Bunny's chest was so deep he felt almost numb. Like those days when it is so cold that you don't even feel it anymore.

"Mine is not here." Bunny says. "I'll be right back." He glances once more at the ice coffin before opening a tunnel to his warren. The change of temperature is drastic, but he does not feel it. All he thinks about is his gift.

When he arrives, he makes his way to the flower covered bank under the highest hill of the warren.

He can remember perfectly how Jack pulled him to that place first thing in the morning on that dreadful day. The day everything started.

He could remember perfectly the sound of his laughter as he rolled down the hill.

He could remember perfectly how beautiful he looked as he lay on the flowers.

Bunny bent down and cut plenty of flowers from the bank.

He made his way back. Again, not feeling the sudden chill. He wordlessly walked towards the ice coffin and began to place the flowers inside Jack's hood.

He looked just as beautiful as he did on that day. Bunny found himself, for a second, wishing that Jack was ugly. If he was then he would still be alive.

With the hatred towards himself rising, Bunny went back to standing next to Tooth and North.

Sandy went next. He gave Jack the golden heart he had made for him the first time they left him. They had found it in Jack's hoodie and Sandy had decided that was what he wanted to give him. Sandy placed it under the palm of Jack's hands, which were resting over his stomach.

In his hoodie they had also found the little matryoshka doll North had made of Jack. North decided to keep it.

Tooth went next. She fluttered lightly next to the coffin.

"I haven't told the baby teeth." She tells Jack. "I couldn't."

There is a pause. She takes a deep breath.

"Here," she placed his memory box next to the little gold heart, "they're yours." She stares fondly at him for a few seconds before flying back to Bunny and Sandy's side.

It's North's turn. He walks slowly to Jack's side. His back is hunched and his eyes are wet. He takes out of his pocket the little matryoshka doll of North's center.

"I will keep yours and you will keep mine." He says, his voice quivering. He places it next to the memory box. North sets a hand lightly on Jack's hair and says something in Russian that the others don't understand, but can guess.

North walks back to Bunny's side.

Suddenly they hear the bells of approaching elves. The 7 elves that were with Jack in these last few days make their way to the other Guardians. They are all tearful.

The 4 gasp as they watch the elves take the bells off their hats and turn to the Guardians.

They want to give a gift too.

The 4 of them help the elves deliver their gift. Soon there were 3 bells at Jack's left, 3 bells at Jack's right, and one bell under his palms next to the other gifts.

Bunny looks away from Jack's face and instead looks at the coffin itself.

"You did great, mate. It's beautiful." He says to North. The Guardian of wonder stares at the coffin as well.

"I have never made something that was not toy in my workshop," he says, "never thought I would have to make my son's coffin."

Finally, North cracks. Sobs wrack his body. His knees buckle and he covers his face with his hands. In a second the 3 of them are around him. They hold him and try to provide some comfort but they know they cannot lessen the pain.

They were not sure how long they stayed that way. Until North stopped crying, which was a long time later.

Once North got back on his feet, the ceremony was over. He wordlessly motioned for the yetis to seal the coffin. As they were about to do it, Bunny felt a sudden dread fill him.

It was his turn to crack.

"Wait!" The desperation in his voice was enough to stop the yetis in their tracks.

Bunny's heart was beating fast. The pain had stopped being numb. It was now hitting him in waves over and over. They couldn't do this. He couldn't loose him. They had to…

"Bunny…" North began with a miserable look.

"No! There must have been something we didn't do! Something we didn't see! We have to try again!"

"Bunny, we did everything. Please. Stop." Begs Tooth. Sandy nods.

Bunny looks around him to see hopelessness everywhere. He was outnumbered. There was nothing he could do.

The thought of the yetis sealing Jack away scared Bunny to no end.

"Please just…" he sighed, defeated, "just let me say goodbye."

They could not say no to that. The other Guardians nodded and the yetis put the coffin's lid down.

Bunny slowly moved to Jack's side. He stared at him and felt tears roll down his face.

"Frostbite, what are you doing?" he murmured, "Wake up. I need you to wake up." He gave a humorless laugh, "I have never needed anything so badly in my entire life. I need to see you open your eyes. I need to hear you laugh. I need to see you smile. I need you because… I love you." Bunny leans on the coffin as he bends down to kiss Jack.

Everything happened fast.

The coffin cracked under Bunny's weight and before he can reach Jack, the ice shattered.

Bunny suddenly falls, lands on top of Jack, and then lands on the ground.

The force of the impact forces the piece of apple out of Jack's throat.

There is a silence after the breaking of the coffin where everyone is just staring, shocked.

The silence is broken by the sound of coughing.

Jack's coughing.

Bunny looks up, slightly dazed, and sees Jack spitting out onto the snow.

"Gross." Says the winter spirit. It's the sweetest sound Bunny has ever heard.

Jack blinks and looks around. They are outside Santoff Clousen, that he can tell. He is surrounded by what appears to be every elf and yeti that work with North and he is lying on top of broken ice. He sees North, Tooth, and Sandy staring at him with wide eyes. He then turns and sees Bunny right next to him.

"Um… hey. What happened?" he feels something in his hood but when he raises his hands to check he feels something in them. His golden heart, North's center doll, his memory box, and a bell.

What in the world?

He raised a hand to his hood and pulls something out.

A flower.

That was when it hit him. This was his funeral.

Oh.

_Oh._

He looked back at Bunny with a guilty look.

"I'm so-mh!" Bunny suddenly pulled him in and kissed him.

Before Jack could react, Bunny pulls away.

"I love you." The Guardian of hope says. Jack's eyes open wide and a smile appeared on his face.

"I had to die 3 times for you to tell me that?" With a laugh Jack bent foreword and kissed him back.

There was sudden cheering from all around them. Jack felt himself being hugged by his fellow Guardians. He was suddenly in a tight group hug. He closed his eyes and basked himself in the affection.

"_**Noooo!"**_ The sudden scream was so loud and so violent that it startled everyone to their feet.

Cashlin appeared out of a cloud of grey smoke. Her face distorted with rage and hatred.

"_**I've had it! You will die and you will stay dead!" **_The 4 Guardians placed themselves infront of Jack in fighting positions.

Jack was suddenly filled with anger and frustration.

He had had enough as well.

"That's it." He murmured as he pushed his way through the other Guardians. This startled them almost as much as Cashlin's scream.

"Jack!" They all called out.

Before either they or Cashlin could do anything, Jack pointed his staff at her and froze her solid.

There was another shocked silence as everyone stared at the witch, now trapped in an ice cube, and at the suddenly exhausted winter spirit.

Bunny is the first to speak.

"We should have let you done that sooner." Those words make the tension break. Everyone begins to laugh and Jack smiles tiredly. He opens his arms and Bunny immediately carries him.

"Guys," Jack tells his family, "take me home."

They begin to walk to Santoff Clousen and North tells the yetis to clean up the mess.

In Bunny's arms Jack looks at the broken ice on the ground, the frozen witch, and the jumping elves. He gave a tired laugh.

"Do I put the _fun_ back in _funeral_ or what?"

* * *

**There you go. The power of love saved Jack... not really.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**For the JackRabbit shippers reading this, I want to inform you that I am going to write a new story called "Overcoming Shadows". It's a human AU and it is all JackRabbit. If you're interested, stay in tune.**

**Hope you enjoyed this story!**


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